Burns from cow parsnip

Borshevik Sosnovsky – a plant from the Umbelliferae family. This is the closest relative of garden crops – carrots, parsley, dill. He comes from the Caucasus, and he was brought to central Russia in the middle of the last century – scientists decided that this is an excellent fodder crop, since the hogweed grows quickly and builds up a huge green mass. They sowed the fields, but it soon became clear that the cattle eats it reluctantly. In addition, the plant contains toxic substances – furocoumarins, which negatively affected the health of animals: the quality of meat and milk fell.

Plus, another problem arose – while harvesting fodder, collective farmers often received burns and sometimes so serious that they died. As a result, the fields were no longer sown with cow parsnip, but it settled in the surrounding area, became a malicious weed and is a danger to people. In the suburbs alone, he settled 17 thousand hectares of land!

Symptoms of a burn from hogweed

Burns on the skin, or rather dermatitis, which are very similar to burns, causes hogweed juice. But he has one amazing feature: he “works” only in the sun, under the influence of ultraviolet radiation. At home, you can even smear yourself with this juice from head to toe – nothing will happen. But as soon as you get under the rays of the sun, the reaction immediately begins.

All parts of the hogweed are dangerous: stems, leaves and even fruits.

Symptoms of a burn with cow parsnip appear on the rise:

• a slight itching on the skin – often they don’t even pay attention to it;
• severe redness or a dark spot – they appear after a while, the period depends on the intensity of the sun: on a hot sunny day, the signs appear faster than overcast;
• blisters filled with liquid – they usually appear in a day and are very similar to burns, they gradually merge into one large blister and burst on about 5 days, and a painful wound appears in their place.

It is no less scary if the hogweed juice gets into the eyes – this often leads to blindness. In addition, the essential oils of this plant can cause irritation of the mucous membranes of the mouth and nose.

First aid for burns from hogweed

If hogweed juice gets on your skin, thoroughly blot the contact area with a dry cloth. Do not wipe – so you will carry it all over the skin, namely, get it wet.

Then try to leave the street as quickly as possible – go into any room. Not in the shade, under the trees – ultraviolet rays also penetrate there, namely into the room. If this is not possible, wrap the affected area with a dense cloth that does not let the sun’s rays through.

At the first opportunity, thoroughly wash the area of ​​uXNUMXbuXNUMXbthe skin on which the juice has come into contact with a solution of soap and soda, blot it with a napkin moistened with alcohol or vodka and apply any preparation for burns, for example, Panthenol.

In the next 2 days, try to protect the affected skin from the sun and fluorescent lamps.

Treatment of burns from hogweed

The treatment of burns from hogweed is generally similar to the treatment of ordinary burns.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis of a hogweed burn is simple – if you decide to contact him, the doctor will find out how you got the burn and conduct a visual examination.

Modern treatments

Burns from hogweed are treated with the same drugs as thermal lesions – any ointments and preparations for burns, the same Panthenol, will do. With the same means, you need to lubricate the blisters, if they appear. By the way, in no case should blisters be destroyed – the wound can become inflamed, and the consequences will be more serious, up to sepsis.

In addition, within 5 days after contact with cow parsnip, you need to take antihistamines.

Prevention of burns from hogweed at home

Prevention of burns from hogweed is very simple – you must avoid contact with it. It is difficult for an adult to confuse this plant with others – it is very conspicuous. But the children need to show it and tell how dangerous it is.

However, a hogweed burn can be obtained by accident, for example, if its leaves are hidden in thick grass. Therefore, it is important, when going to nature, to wear tight clothes with long sleeves and trousers. When weeding in the country, use tools and wear thick, better rubberized gloves. After contact with cow parsnip, send clothes to the laundry, and take a shower yourself.

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